Method and machine for assembling and packaging articles



June 18, 1929. l. E. LA BOMBARD Erm. 1,717,696

METHOD AND MACHINE FOR SSEMBLING AND PACKAGING ARTICLES Filed March .22, 1926 6 Sheets-Sheet l ZZ 110 96 j; fax, lli] o o r o 111 l l 57 O 115 119 ZZZ Z4 Za Z5 June 18, 1929. l.. E. LA BOMBARD ETAL 1.717,696

METHOD AND MACHINE FOR ASSEMBLING AND PCKAGIG ARTICLES Filed March 22, 1926 6 Sheets-Sheet 2 June 18, 1929. 1 E. LA BOMBARD ET AL f 1,717,696

METHOD AND HA'CHINE FOR ASSEMBLING AND PACKAGING ARTICLES Filed March 22, 1926 6 Sheets-Sheet 5 Q y Q Mw 5m N w \\\v A TTU/iwf Y June 18, 1929. E, LA BQM'BARD ET AL 1,717,696

METHOD AND-MACHINE FOR ASSEMBLING AND PACKAGING ARTICLES Filed March 22, 1926 6 Sheets--SheetI 4 '-1 /N VEN 70H5. IM h fm/1A 50mg/wa 'i Na V//v 5705507/1/4/7.

A TTU/@Nin June 18, 1929- 1..l E. LA B OMBARD ET Ax. 1,717,696

METHOD AND MACHINE .YFOR ASSEMBLING AND PACKAGING ARTICLES Filed March 22, 1926 6 Sheets-Sheet 5 A TTU/PNE )C June 18, 1929. LEM BOMBARD Em 1.717.696

METHOD AND MACHINE FOR ASSEMBLING AND PACKAGING ARTICLES Filed March 22, 1926 6 Sheets-Sheet 6 l l a 1,49 1154/ Patented June 18, 1929.

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

LEON E. LA BOMBARD AND MELVIN H. SIDEBOTHAM, OF CHELSEA, MASSACHUSETTS,

ASSIGNORS TO SPECIALTY AUTOMATIC IVIACHINE.I COMPANY, OF CHELSEA, MAS- SACHUSETTS, A CORPORATION OF MASSACHUSETTS.

METHOD AND MACHINE FOR ASSEMBLING .AND PACKAGING ARTICLES.

Application filed March 22, 1926.

This invention relates to machines for automatically assembling articles from a plurality of sources of supply such as hoppers or magazines, and then making packages of an accurate number of such assembled articles;

and the invention has particular reference to machines for assembling flat-folded paper egg boxes with an equal number of the fillers or racks which are to be employed as partitioning. in the boxes when the latter are set up for use, and fastening such assembled boxes and fillers together in bundles or packages of known sizes or quantities.

In the use of egg boxes, partitioning is required to separate the eggs. Such partitioning is known as fillers or racks. To save space when storing or shipping, it is customary to produce the boxes and the fillers in flat folded form as illustrated, for instance, respectively, by Figure 19 of Letters Patent No. 1,488,756, granted to us April 1, 1924, and Figure (S of Letters Patent No. 1,534,006, granted to us April 14, 1925. lVhen the fillers have been put in packages separate from the fiat boxes, users had more or less trouble when preparing to pack eggs; and sometimes the fillers and boxes reaching the users were not equa-l in number. This led to the custom of associating one filler with each box, doing :io this by hand which took time, with the filler inside the box. Y

A particular object of the present invention is to provide assembled fillers and boxes, each filler being superimposed upon the thinner portion of a flat folded box and alongside of the thicker portion of the box so that a package of a certain number of such assembled pairs of articles in alternating relationship will occupy a minimum amount of spaceand require a minimum amount of bundling string.

Another object of the invention is to produce such assembled pairs of articles in packages each of which contains a predetermined number.

Another object is to provide counting means for ensuring the production of grouped articlesin packages accurately enunierated.

Serial No. 96,649.

Another object is to provide a machine which advances the articles step by step, each step being started slowly, then accelerated, and then slowly arrested, for a purpose fully explained hereinafter'.

lV ith the above mentioned objects in view and others hereinafter explained, the invention consists in the method and machine substantially as hereinafter described and claimed.

Of the accompanying drawings Figure 1 is a plan view of the complete machine, omitting some of the small details,

Figure 2 is a perspective view looking in the direction of the arrow 2, Figure 1` illustrating the mechanism for feeding the flat folded boxes.

Figure 3 is perspective view of the mechanism for feeding fillers such as shown at b, Figure 16, said Figure 3 being a vie v looking in the direction of the arrow 3, Figure 1.

Figure 4 represents a section on line 4 4 Figure 1.

Figure 5 is a detail perspective view of parts shown in Figure 4.

Figure 6 is a perspective view of some of the parts, looking in the direction of arrow 6, Figure 1.

Figure 7 is a sectional side elevation of some of the parts illustrated in Figure 6.

Figure 8 represents a section on line 8 8 Figure 1.

Figure 9 is a detail perspective view looking in the direction of the arrow 9, Figure l..

Figure l0 is a perspective view of the gearing structure which causes the articles to travel step by step with slow starting and stopping movements and high-speed. intermediate movement.

Figure 11 is a view looking in the direction of the arrow 11, Figure 10.

Figure l2 is a perspective View of the automatic counting mechanism.

Figln'e 13 is a view looking in the direction of the arrow 13, Figure Figure 14 is a perspective view of some of the parts shown in Figure l2, looking in a different direction.

Figure 15 is a perspective View of some of Cil he parts shown iii Figures 12, 13 yand 14, but showing said parts separated from each other. Y

Figure 16 is a perspective View of a flat folded box and filler in their relationship ust before they are assembled.

Figure 17 is similar view of the same articles assembled.

Figure 18 is a perspective view of a bundle of assembled boxes and fillers alternating with each other as delivered by the machine.

Similar reference characters indicate sirnilar parts in all of the views.

rllhe frame of the machine includes alongitudinal sectionhaving side walls 20, and 'a lateral or transverse section having side walls 21, the first-mentioned section supporting two hoppers and feeding mechanisms for the fiat folded boxes e and the fiat or collapsed fillers Z). To support a pile of the boxes ci, strips 22 are provided, said strips being carried by side wall members 23 of the hopper, said` side members being supported by a cross bai' 24 of the frame (Figs. 1 and 2). iilso supported by said cross bar is a vertically adjustable gate strip 25 the lower end of which is spaced from a wheel 26 vcarried by shaft 2T to provide an outlet for the lower box of a pile in the hopper.

To advance the flat folded boxes singly from the bottom of a pile in the hopper, we

provide a pair of wheels 28, each having a pushing shoulder 29, said wheels being carriedv by a shaft 30. Each time that the wheels 23 revolve, a box is started forward through the outlet under the gate strip 25 so that said box will be gripped by the coaction of wheel 26 and a pairof small driven wheels 31 carried by a shaft 32 which is suitably driven as by gearing indicated in Figure 1'.

e Owing to the fact that the folded boxes are not of uniform thickness, because there are so many portions of each box blank over folded, one upon another, there is always a liability of a second blank followingthe `first one as soon as the first or bottom one has advanced partly through the hopper outlet, unless sonie provision is made to prevent such following with the result of amming the out` let. To prevent any upper box from being started through the `outlet until the bottoni one has passed entirely through the outlet, we provide a pair of oscillating lingers 33 (Fi` 's 1 and 2), each having a sharp pin 34 rising from its tip. Each finger 33 is adjustabiy mounted in a block 35 wliicliis clamped upon a rock shaft 36 having an arm 37 carrying a roll 38which rides on the periphery of a cam 39 carried by shaft 30. Y

In the operation of this feed mechanism, the shaft 36 is actuatedso that the pins of the lingers 33 will be lowered below the plane of the bottom blank when the shoulders 29 of the feed wheels engage the rear edge of the blank and sta-rt it forward, said lingers then rising Vproper position on top of a box a.

-a plate 40 supported by arms 41 depending from the cross bar 24, said box then passing Vto the iii oer rolls 42 43 the former beine' l 3 7 279 carried by a shaft 44 and the latter by a shaft 45. The shaft 44 also carries, loosely mounted thereon, a pair of sprockets 46 for chains 47 having pushing pins 48. rlhe chains 4? are closer together than ,the width of the folded boxes so that the said folded boxes extend over the chains as indicated in Figk ure 4. To retain the boxes on the chains a suitably supported plate 49 is provided, and there ai'e sniootlisurface bars 50 on which Vthe boxes ride so that each box is frictionally held back bythe plate 49 and vbars 50, and after it leaves the nipper rolls 42, 43, it will remain substantially stationary until a pair of the pins 4S carried by the chains 47 catoliup Twith the rear edge of said box and cause it to travel forward and pass under the mechanismv which delivers one filler l) in The mechanism for so feedinO and deoositino' theI iillers is best shown in `Figures 3 and 4. lt is supported by suitable portions of the frame of the machine including a cross casting 21. rl`he bottom of the hopper for' the fillers coniprises a plate 51 (Fig. 3) the ends of which,`

are rigidly mounted in the frame. The side walls 52 of the hopper are supported by brackets 53 secured to cross bai' 54. Also supported by the cross bar 54 is an'adjustable gate strip 55. Mounted to reciprocate in a guideway inthe hopper platel is a slide 56 (Figs. 4 and 5) which is connected by a link 57 with an arm 53 of a rock shaft 59 3) suitably mounted in the frame and having an arm 60 connected by'a link 61 with the eecentric strap 62 of an eccentric 63 carried by a shaft 64, said shaft being actuated by gearing that will operatev it in proper time to cause the slide 56 to effect feeding of a filler b throughthe outlet of the hopper each time Vthat a box a arrives under the fillerhopper.

To Vpush the bottom blank out from the hopper, the slide 56 is provided with a pushing ledge 65, preferably mounted as indicated in 1Eigures 4 and5 so that it can be adjusted to llt) cause its pushing edge to be raised more or less according to the thickness of the articles to be ejected from the hopper. lrojecting forward from the slide 56 is a flat surfacedfinger 66 which reciprocates back and forth between a pair of blocks 67 (Fig. 3); said blocks cooperating with the bifurcated lower end of the gate Ystrip to forni the outlet for a isting in the gate outlet.

To avoid liability of a second filler being started through the outlet by the passage of a lower filler, we provide a pair of fingers 68 (Figs. 3 and 4) adjustably mounted in blocks 69 carried by a rock shaft 70, the tips of the fingers being located in position to engage under the rear edge of a second filler imme- 1 diately after the lower filler has been started forward. ATo cause the tips of the fingers 68 to rise and fall at the proper times, the rock shaft 70 has an arm 71 connected by a link 72 with an yarm 73 of a rock sha-ft 74 (Figs. 1 and The rock shaft 74 has another arm 75 provided with a roll which is acted upon by a cam 76 carried by the shaft 64, said cam 76 acting through the connections just described to raise and lower the lingers for the purpose described which is substantially the same as the purpose of the fingers 33 employed in connection with the feeding of the boxes a illustrated by Figure 2. Each filler Z) ejected through the outlet of the `filler hopper, under the gate strip 55, is positively transferred to proper position upona portion of a box a which arrives and temporarily stops beneath it, this resulting in the fillers and flat boxes alternating with each other when superimposed in a pile as explained hereinafter. T o effect such ejection, we provide one or a pair of rolls 77 (Fig. 4) carried by a shaft 78, and one or a pair of toothed disks 79 carried by a shaft 80. Said toothed disks, shafts, and rolls are rotated in the directions indicated by the arrows, Figure 4, by means of intermeshing gears 8l (Fig. 3), a sprocket 82 carried by one of them, and a chain 83 driven by a sprocket 84 carried by the shaft 64.

Each filler b that is fed from its hopper andA deposited by the mechanism just described, arrives with its lower edge under an inclined strip 85 (Fig. 4). At the same time, a box c is being brouglit to position by the pins ofthe chains, with the side margins of the box guided by vertical strips 86. The lower edge of the filler Z; is arrested bythe coaction of the strip 85 and the margin of the box a, with the rear edge of the filler still in engagement with the teeth of the disks 79, so that said teeth will push the filler edgewise and then carry it down flat upon the upper surface of the box in the relative position represented by Figure 17.

We do not claim herein the feeding mechanism which has been described, as the same forms the subject matter of our application Serial No. 290,220, filed July 3, 1928.

In Figure 6 we illustrate a filler which has been deposited in the proper position upon a flat folded box, this occurring when the pins of the chains 47 have brought the box to proper position. The movement of the chains ceases temporarily at this time, as will be explained more fully hereinafter. "he next operation of the machine is to form a pile of twelve or thirteen of the assembled and alternating boxes and fillers, the mechanism for doing this being next described.

The piling is effected upon a vibrating shelf 87 (Figs. 6, 7, 8 and 9), said shelf being carried by a rock shaft 88 mounted in bearings 89 supported by the frame 21 and having an arm 90 provided with a roll 91 which is acted upon by a cam 92 carried by a shaft 92 which is driven as hereinafter described.

An adjacent shaft 93 has sprockets 94 for the far yends of the chains 47. The cam 92 imparts such motion to the rock shaft 88 thatl the edge of the shelf 87 rises and falls between points the lower one of which is below the plane of the upper surfaces of the chains 47 to an upper point considerably higher for a purpose which will be explained. In Figure 6 the shelf is illustrated as having a slot or recess 95 which is merely for the purpose of permitting the passage of the pins of the farther chain when the shelf is lowered.

)Vhcn the shelf is in its lower position with its tip below the plane of travel of the box and superimposed filler arriving toward it, the said box and filler together are pushed upon. the shelf by the pins of the chains 47, the box arriving against the stop 96 carried by the shelf, said stop having a bevelled end 97, and the end of the filler strips arriving against a stop 98 supported by the frame 21.

It is to be understood, of course, that the shelf is in an inclined position while the box and filler are being pushed onto it. Then, by mechanism hereinafter described, the chains stop when the box and filler reach .the stops 96, 98.

Inasmuch as the boxes and fillers may not always arrive accurately against the stops 96, #i

98, we provide a jogging mechanism comprising a bar 99 carried by arms 100 of a roel: shaft 102., the latter having another arm 103 acted upon by a cam 1.04. carried by a shaft 153 hereinafter referred to. Rising from the 7'4" bar 99 is an upright jogging finger 105. The parts just described are so proportioned that when the front edge of a box a arrives against, or nearly against, the stop 96, and a filler 7) about reaches the stop 98, slight marginal J portions of the box and filler at the rear are still overhanging the edge or tip of the shelf. As shown by Figure 6 the strip 105 rises from thebar 99 at a point back of the forward edge of the latter.

This is to enable a front edge l lli) ' illustrated' by Figure 'deposited on the shelf 87, and the shelf rises,

the bar moves partly underA the rear edge of the box which overhangs the tip of the shelf, so that when the shelf is nextlowered to receive another box and filler, the one which has been engaged by the bar 99 will be held up to permit the next boxand filler to be pushed underneath it. Vhen the bar 99 swings forward as just described, its finger 105 acts as a jogger to push thearticles squarely up to the stops 96, 98, with the boxes and fillers superimposed and alternating.

The shelf 37 has a raised portion 106 to prevent any toppling off of a pile of the articles.

By mechanism hereinafter described, a certain number of assembled boxes and fillers are piled on the shelf S7 before being removed therefrom toward the tying mechanism. To hold the alternating boxes and fillers during the operation of forming a pile on the shelf 37, we provide a bearing member or presser' 167 (Figs. 8 and 9) carried by a weighted or spring-actuated arm 108, said presser being .Y

so shaped that the articles will be held snugly thereby but easily removable from under it when the required number of articles in the pile are to be removed laterallyfrom the shelf toward the tying mechanism.

f To support the pile on its way to the tying mechanism a platform 199 is provided (Figs. 1, 6 and 8). A pair of chains 110, mounted on sprockets 111 carried by shafts 112, 113, have fingers 114 to push the piles of articles toward tying mechanism which is of a wellknown type such as the Saxmeyer Tier indicated asa whole at 115 in Figure 1, the motor for such tying mechanism being indicated at 116,. 11s `will be described hereinafter, the chains 110 move intermittently. That is, they remain stationary while the required number of boxes and fillers are piling up on the shelf 37, and they then move one step so as to transfer the pile just formed onto the platform.

109, another pair of fingers 14 at the same time advancing'another pile ahead of it to position to be automatically operated upon.

by the tyer 115 to make such a package as Before describing other parts of the machine, it is desirable to explain some of the driving mechanism and gearing.

A pulley 117,'secured to shaft 11S (Fig. 1).,

is driven by a belt from any motor. Through a suitable train ofgearing the shaft 118 actuatesthe shafts of the box feeding mechanism and also actuates the shaft 44 (Fig. 2) .Y Said shaft44 has a bevel gear connection 119 .1) with the shaft 120 which may be considered the main driving. shaft of the machine. A

scribed.

chain 121 connectssprockets carried by the shafts 120 and 64.

The counting mechanism will now be de- Referring to Figures 12, 13 and 14 in connection with Figure 1, the shaft 120 has a gear 122 meshing with a gear 123 carried by a shaft 124 which extends through and has bearings in both side members 21 of the frame, said shaft 124 not appearing fully in Figure 1 because it is ,directly below'the shaft 113. Mounted to oscillate on the shaft 124 is a rocking lever 125 having a roll 126 at one end rid# ing upon a cam 127 carried by the shaft 120. The other end of the lever 125 has a spring 128 connected to it to cause the lever to oscillate as actuated by the cam 127. The same upper end of the lever 125 has a pawl 129 connected to it and actuated by a suitable spring to engage a toothed disk 130 mounted idly on the shaft 124 and having a disk 131 secured to one side of it, said disk 131 having two ynotches 132` which are not diametrically oppocent to the disk 131 is a block 136 having are-Y cess 137 in whichis pivotally mounted a pawl 133 having acting portions orteeth 139, 140

Y which extend in opposite directions laterally,

said pawl having a spring back of it in the recess 137 to cause it to act as hereinafter described. Also mounted loosely on the shaft 124 but securedto the gear 123 as shown in Figure 12, is a ratchet disk 141. Mounted loosely on the shaft 74 is an arm 142 having lugs 143 and 144 projecting from opposite sides of its tip. A detent 145 is pivoted to the arm 142 by means of a screw or pin 146.

Fivotally mounted in the tip of the shield 134 is a pawl 147 having an acting tip or tooth wide enough to extend to opposite sides of the shield 134 so that one side of it can engage the toothed disk 130 while its other side is adapted to be acted upon by the cam surto Vnormally hold said arm in a position to operate as presently described.

The object of the mechanism just described and particularly illustrated by Figures 12 to 15, is to ensure an alternate deposit of twelve and thirteen bones and fillers in a pile on the shelf 37 and to then cause said pile to be moved by the Lfingers 114 of the chains 110 along toward the tyer. That is, to first make a pile of, say, twelve, while the chains 11() are stationary, then move that pile along, and then make a pile of thirteen boxes and fillers while the chains are again stationary, and then move that pile of thirteen along to the tyer.

The reason for making piles of thirteen and twelve is that it is customary and desirable to-furnish the articles to users in easily enumerated amounts such as twenty-five. It would not be conveniently practicable to pile twenty-five oln the shelf 87 because the irregular shapes of the articles would tend to make them fall over.

In the particular machine illustrated, the two notches 132 in the disk 131 are in such relative positions (not diametrically opposite each other) that the lug 143 of the arm 142 drops into kone of them when twelve feeding steps of the chains 47 have been made to pile twelve fillers and boxes on the shelf, with the result that the chains 11() are then given one step of travel to remove that pile, and said lug 143 then drops into the other notch 132 When thirteen feeding steps of the chains 47 have been made to pile thirteen boxes and fillers on the shelf.

)Ve will now describe the operation of this counting mechanism. The shaft 12() makes one revolution during the assemblage of each box with a filler. At the end of each revolution an assembled box and filler are pushed onto the shelf 87. Therefore the cam 127 oscillates the lever 125 so that its pawl 129 engages the toothed disk 13() and advances the same one notch. Zhen the predetermined number of these advancements of the toothed disk 130 have been made, the disk 131 comes to a position where the lug 143 of arm 142 falls into one of its notches 132, and the arm 142 1s pulled down by its spring 148. Just before the arm 142 drops, the lug 139 of the pawl 138 is resting upon the lug 144 of the arm 142 which keeps the portion 140 of the pawl 138 out of engagement with ratchet disk 141. lVhen the arm 142 drops, the pawl 138 is free to engage the toothed disk 141 and effect one rotation of the shaft 124 which is connected by sprocket and chain gearing 150 (Fig'l) with the shaft 113 which is above the shaft 124 as shown by Figure 8. As the ratchet disk 141 is secured to gear 123, it causes the pawl 138 to make one complete revolution and, through gea-r 122. and shaft 120, and other mechanism described, cause the removal of a pile from the shelf 87. During said revolution the oscillation of lever 125 has advanced the disk 130 another tooth, thereby causing the arm 142 to raise so that when the member 139 is brought back toward its original. position, it rides onto lug 144 and the member 140 is lifted out of engagement with ratchet 141. As the block 136 which carries the members 138, 139, 140, is attached to shaft 124, said shaft will make one revolution and cause the chains 1.10 and their pushers 114 to advance one step.

It sometimes happens that the feeding mechanism skips the delivery7 of articles on the shelf 87 so that there is one short in the pile of twelve or thirteen. Then this occurs it is necessary to set back the counter one tooth for each time that the feeder misses. To set back the counter it will be necessary to pull down on the handle 135 of the shield 134 until the shield is arrested by the stop 149. One portion of the pawl 147 rides on cam 133 and the other portion engages a tooth of the wheel or disk 130 at a position where pawl 147 leaves the cam portion 133, so that the toothed disk 130 is pulled back one tooth. During said upward movement of the shield handle 135 the cam portion 134 of shield 134 lifts the pawl 129 out of engagement with the toothed wheel 130 and also raises the detent 145 out of engagement with the toothed disk 130, permitting a backward movement of said disk 130. )Vlien the handle 135 is rek leased, it is returned to normal position by the spring 135 (Fig. 13). For each operation of the handle 135 the toothed disk 130 is set back the distance of one tooth.

As has been described, the shaft 124 is rotated once for each placing of a pile of twelve or thirteen boxes and fillers on the shelf 87, and the shaft 124 has, near its outer end, a sprocket which is connected by a chain 150 (Fig. 1) with a sprocket carried by the shaft 113 which shaft actuates the chains carrying the pushing ngers 114.

In the particular embodiment of t-he invention illustrated by the accompanying drawings, it is desirable that the chains 47, the pins 48 of which push each flat box with one superimposed filler toward the shelf 87, shall remain stationary for brief periods. During one stop of said chains a folded box a is delivered by its feeding mechanism to position to have its rear edge engaged by a pair of the pins 48 when the chains then again move. The chains then travel and carry the box to position to have a iiller b deposited fiat thereon, the-chains again remaining stationary while the filler is being deposited to make such an assemblage as illustrated by Figure 17. The next stop of the chains is just after an assembled box and filler have been pushed onto the shelf 87. ln order to secure speed in the final production of the machine. it is important that the speed of travel of the chains 47 shall be greatly accelerated after starting each intermittent advance, and that the speed shall slow down sufiiciently toward the next stop to avoid liability of the articles operated upon by the machine being shot forward beyond their proper position of stop.

The mechanism for effecting' the above described operations (see Figs. 6, 8 and 11) includes a bevel pinion 151 carried by the main V able bearing and carrying the cam 104 and a gear 154. Carried by shaft 93 is a gear 155.

A gear 156 meshing with both of the gears 154l and 155 is carried loosely on a pin 157 which, at one end, is loosely mounted in one end of a link 158 which, at the other en d, is connected by a pin 159 to one side of the gear 154 which latter has its axis of rotation eccentric to the axis of the shaft 93. The pin 157 extends rigidly from the side of one end of a link 160 which, at its other end, is loosely mounted on the shaft 93. The axis of the gear 156 is out of alinement with the axes of the gears 155, 157.

1n connection with the following description of the operation of the mechanism just referred to, lit is tobe remembered that the gearing and connections are such that the shaft 93 which carries the driving sprockets 94 (Fig. 6) for the chains 47, receives its po-wer from the shaft 120 through the mechanism just referred to, and that the object of such mechanism is to effect intermittent movement of the chains 47 with an accelerated speed at an intermediate point Vof each step of movement. The gear 154 which is attached to the shaft 153 and eccentric thereto (Figs. 6 and 11) will, when'rotated, cause t-he gear 156 to oscillate part way around the axis of shaft 93, because the eccentric relationship described causes a thrust to be exerted through the link 158 against the pin 157 which carries the gear 156, while the link 160 holds the gear 156 in mesh with the gear 155 of shaft 93. lfhen this action takes place, the gear 154 rotates the gear 156 and, through the action of the links, causes the drive of gear 155 tostart slow, then accelerate to maximum and then `decrease until there is no motion transmitted to the gear 155. 1n other words, part of the rotation of gear 154 has but very little rotative effect upon the gear 155Y because, while the link 158 is acting to push the v pin 157, the gear 156 is riding partly around the periphery of gear 155 while'imparting little or no rotative motion to said gear 155.

From this it will be understood that upon rov tation of the gear 154 through its other half of rotation, acting to exert a pull upon the link 15S, the gear 156 is being raised around theperiphery of the gear 155; and since said gear 156 is rotating and is also being moved partly around the axis of gear 155, the speed of rotation of the gear 155 and its shaft which drives the chains 47, is greatly accelerated. This mechanism causes'the chains 47 to stop for a brief period and gradually accelerate to a maximum speed and then reduce again.

Sometimes it is desirable to so arrange the gears 154, 155, 156, and theirlinks relatively to each otherxthat instead of bringing the driven element or carrier (such as the chains referred to) to a stop and then an accelerated advance movement, said gears and their links may be so relatively proportioned as to cause the driven'element or carrier to not startforward immediately after reaching a stopping point, but to retreat somewhat back of the point to which it has been advanced and then start forward. InA other words, each accelerated advance may be preceded' by a slight retreating movement.

' 1n the operation of the machine, each slowing down movement of the chains 47 terminates the pushing of an assembled box and filler (Fig. 17) onto the shelf 87. VThe rising and falling shelf 87 and the `means for grouping the articles thereon in piles, and the intermittently moving chains with their pushing fingers 114 which remove the groups or piles from said shelf to the tying mechanism'or bundler 115, are actuated in such timed relationship that they cooperate in au` tomatically determining the number of articles in each package or bundle of alternating boxes and fillers. The counting mechanism illustrated by Figures 12 to 15, which controls the frequency of operationV of the chains 110 and their pushing fingers 114, determines Vthe number of articles that will be allowed to accumulate on the shelf 87 before being carried therefrom to the tyer, and said number is alternately varied Vwhen the mechanism., is arranged as hereinbefore described,

to effect the grouping of piles of twelve and thirteen alternately.

Vfhile the holders for the boxes and fillers have been referred to as hoppers, it is to be understood that said term is employed for sie the sake of brevity, meaning any suitableV sources of supply for large numbers of the articles and from which the'articles can be fed for assembly. p

`lll/'e d0 not claim herein the specific mechanisms for feeding the -individual boxes and fillersl such as illustrated and described, as the same form the subject matter of our divisional application Serial No. 290,220, filed July 3, 1928.

Having now described our invention, we claim j 1. rllhe method of producing packages of pairs of different kinds of articles, consistingy in assembling a plurality of the pairs of articles in superimposed relationship, and then forming a pile of a` pre-determined number of such assemblages.

2. Themethod of producing packages of eggboxes and fillers, consisting in assembling the boxes and fillers in flat condition and in pairs with a filler lying flatwise against each box, forming a pile of a pre-determined number of such pairs, and then securing said number of pairs together in the form of a bundle.

3. rllhe method of producing packages of boxes and fillers, consisting in assembling the boxes and fillers Vin fiat condition and in pairs with a fillerlying flatwise on top of and close to an edgeof each fiat-folded. box, assembling a definite number' of such pairs, and then securing said number together.

4.-. A machine for producing packages of pairs of different kinds of articles, said machine having means for first. associating said. articles in pairs, means for assembling a plurality of the pairs of articles and means for then forming a pile of the assembled pluralities.

5. A machine for producing packages of articles` said machine having means for .first assembling a plurality of the articles, means for then forming a pile of the assembled pluralities, and means for bundling each pile.

6. A machine for assembling articles of different characteristics, said machine having a separate hopper for a supply of each kind of article, and means for feeding the articles singly from each hopper and superimposing the different kinds one upon another.

7. A machine for assemblingr articles of different characteristics, said machine having a separate hopper for a supply of each kind of article, means for feeding the articles singly from each hopper and superimposing the different kinds one upon another in one position, and means for shifting the superiuiiposed articles to another position and forming a group of them.

8. A machine for assembling articles of different characteristics, said machine having a separate hopper for a supply of each kind of article, means for feeding the articles singly from each hopper and superimposing the different kinds one upon another in one position, means for shifting the superimposed articles to another position and forming a group of them, and means for converting each group into a bundle.

9. A machine of the character described, said machine having a hopper for flat egg boxes and a hopper for flattened fillers, means for feeding the boxes and fillers singly from their hoppers, and means for assembling a filler with each box.

10. A machine of the character described, said machine having a hopper for fiat egg boxes and a hopper for flattened fillers, means for feeding the boxes and fillers singly from their hoppers, and means for assembling the boxes and fillers in pairs with a filler lying fiativise against each box close to an edge portion thereof.

11. A machine substantially as specified by claim 9, and having means for packaging pre-determined numbers of the assembled boxes and fillers.

1.2. A machine for producing packages of flat folded egg boxes and fillers, said machine having means for successively assembling the boxes and fillers with a filler lying' flatwise against each box, means for forming said assemblages into piles, and means for bundling each pile.

13. In a machine for assembling and packaging pairs of different kinds of articles, means for forming groupsof the pairs of articles in alternating relationship, and means for auton'iatically determining the number of articles in each group.

14. In a machine for assembling and packaging articles, means for forming groups of the articles in alternately differing numbers of the articles, and means for securing each group in the form of a, bundle.

15. In a machine for assembling and packaging pairs of different kinds of articles, means for forming groups of the pairs of articles successively in a given position and in alternating relationship, means for removing each group from such position, and counting mechanism for determining the number of articles allowed to accumulate in each group before being removed.

1G. A machine for assembling articles, said machine having tivo hoppers for the articles, means for feeding' articles singly from the bottom of each hopper, means for conveying each article fed from the first hopper to position adjacent the second hopper, means for temporarily arresting said conveyed article in said position, and means for positively pressing an article fed from the second hopper down on an article fed from the first hopper.

17. A machine for producing packages of articles, said machine including a vibrating shelf, means for accumulating the articles on said shelf, and means for removing the accumulated articles from said shelf.

18. A machine for producing packages of articles, said machine including a shelf, means for conveying articles onto said shelf, means for removing the articles from said shelf, and means for shifting said shelf to one position for receiving the articles and to another position after each article has been deposited thereon.

19. A machine substantially as specified by claim 18, the shelf having a stop to determine the position of an article thereon.

Q0. A machine substantially as specified by claim 18, with jogging means for ensuring accurate deposit of the articles on the shelf.

21. A machine for producing packages of articles, said machine including a vibrating shelf. means for conveying articles singly and lsuccessively onto said shelf, and means for holding each article deposited'on said shelf sufiiciently elevated to permit another article to be deposited under it.

22. A machine for producing packages of articles, said machine including a vibrating shelf, means for accumulating the articles on said shelf, and means for removing the accumulated articles after a pre-determined number have accumulated thereon.

23. In a machine for assembling pairs of dierent kinds of articles, means for ormthe ratchet, and means controlled by the ing groups of the articles in alternating relatoothed disk for imparting motion to the 10 tionship, and means for counting the numdriven shaft.

ber of articles placed in each group, said In testimony whereof we have afliXed our counting means including a driving shaft signatures.

and a driven shaft, a ratchet and toothed Y disk loose on the driven shaft, means con- LEON E. LA BOMBARD.

Atrolled by the driving shaft for actuating 'Y MELVN H. SIDEBQTHAM. 

